But, first of all, what’s productive means?
According to the Oxford Dictionary productivity is:
“the rate at which a worker, a company or a country produces goods, and the amount produced, compared with how much time, work and money is needed to produce them”.
Using this definition we can see that doing much isn’t enough. The desire is to do much, at the best time, with quality.
Be efficient.
Be effective.
We need to make the most progress possible on time using available resources.
How to be more productive?
- Organize your environment: decrease the time you waste looking for things around. Keep your table cleaned and organized, with just the needed stuff to complete your tasks.
- Discover what you have to do: set clear goals! When you know what you want and what/when you have to make, you are 50% closer to your achievement. A crystal clear plan has the power to make us feel motivated and with focus.
- Break down your goals into smaller tasks: Divide to conquer! Make a to-do list with all tasks required to achieve your goal. Sort that list by priority and start solving it, one by one. Tasks that will deliver the most value have higher priority. Put more energy into big-value tasks.
- Create a schedule: Many people are wasting time every day because they wake up without knowing what to do. Make different. Now that you have a bunch of things to do, sorted by priority, add this into a calendar, list, or any other tool that helps you to know what you will do, and assign a date to start and finish each task.
- Be stronger than distractions: During your scheduled tasks time turn off distractions. If you have a list of valuable things that will bring you a feeling of victory, personal or professional development, and can increase your self-esteem and confidence, you need to do it NOW! Put all your focus on your goal, and don’t break your attention every 5 minutes to do other things with less value, like check your phone 100x per day.
- Take some break: Concentration is limited. After a section of deep concentration, take some time to rest your mind. Relax by doing something outside your task.
- Take care of your health: get enough sleep, stay hydrated, eat well, and do other things that allow you to relax and have fun. A healthy mind and a healthy body are required for good productivity.
If you want to learn more deeply about productivity, time management, and other connected topics, I suggest two great books:
